Pope's Birmingham Oratory Visit Photos

Some uplifting photos here of the Holy Father’s private visit to the Birmingham Oratory Sept. 19 after he beatified Blessed John Henry Newman. The photographs were taken by L’Osservatore Romano but not seen elsewhere.

Particularly appealing, I thought, are the ones of Benedict XVI in Cardinal Newman’s library (p14) - the Holy Father’s delight is written all over his face.

The provost of the Oratory, Fr. Richard Duffield, who acted as the Pope’s guide during the visit, told me soon after the Pope had gone that the Holy Father enjoyed looking through some of Blessed John Henry’s books and papers. “He told us that he wished he had more time to spend in the library,” he said, adding that the Oratorians gave him one of Cardinal Newman’s rosaries.

Comments

I believe that His Holiness has a cat! Pius X11 had a finch that used to sit on his shoulder when he was shaving in the morning.

Little things like that show how human Popes are in private. I agree with LRoy that if more people liked cats, the world and the church would be a much better place.

Posted by LRoy on Saturday, Oct 2, 2010 7:25 PM (EDT):

It is very obvious is that the pope is a cat person. That cat would be on the way to MY house for her own holiday.

I firmly believe if everyone liked cats this much, the world would be a much better place.

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About Edward Pentin

Edward Pentin began reporting on the Pope and the Vatican with Vatican Radio before moving on to become the Rome correspondent for the National Catholic Register. He has also reported on the Holy See and the Catholic Church for a number of other publications including Newsweek, Newsmax,Zenit, The Catholic Herald, and The Holy Land Review, a Franciscan publication specializing in the Church and the Middle East. Follow on Twitter @edwardpentin